Veena’s review of The Orphan’s Song by Lauren Kate
Historical Fiction published by G. P. Putnam Sons 25 Jun 19

Modern-day Venice is romance with a capital ‘R’ with its gondoliers and canals and all manner of mysteries behind the facades that line the grand canal. Ms. Kate’s Venice is 365 days/24 hours of Carnevale, where everybody who counts wears a mask and frolics the hours away. Yet amidst this glitter is the church of the incurables where orphans with musical talent vie to make a place for themselves, a moment of glory in a drab life where their faces are always exposed to the public.  The author does a superb job of bringing alive the city, almost as if it were a character in the story, as Violetta and Mino find their brief moment of fame amidst the hardships and rigor that has been their life as orphans. Violetta, abandoned as a two-day-old babe, has always felt betrayed, determined to make a name for herself with her musical talent. She daydreams of a better future, even as she rebels against the constraints of her life. Her memories of love are a woman singing a lament, though she leaves her young son at the orphanage.  Little does she know how her life will one day intersect with mother and son.

Mino, unlike the other orphans, recalls the softness and love of his mother, recalls her songs, and is amazed when a rebellious night on the convent rooftop brings him face to face with Violetta. Even more amazing is the session when she puts words to a song that brings tears to his eyes and memories of his mother’s love. While they make music together, there is no future for them, since Violetta is promised to the church and Mino is apprenticed to be a gondola maker.

Violetta, as she reaches the pinnacle of her success, rebels and finds herself escaping from her convent and walking the streets of Venice, where she has the chance to meet the owner of the premier party place in the city. Always tempted by the forbidden, she finds herself singing in his pleasure palace one day a week. As she enjoys the luxuries that her singing engagement and the attentions of the man bring her, she wonders if her feelings might be love, until she’s heartbroken when she hears that Mino is marrying.

This novel is like an opera with songs, costumes, music, pageantry, love, tragedy, and romance. A great blend of historical fact and fiction, this is a wonderful read for fans of historical fiction.

Grade: B+

Summary:

A song brought them together.
A secret will tear them apart.

Venice, 1736. When fate brings Violetta and Mino together on the roof of the Hospital of the Incurables, they form a connection that will change their lives forever. Both are orphans at the Incurables, dreaming of escape. But when the resident Maestro notices Violetta’s voice, she is selected for the Incurables’ world famous coro, and must sign an oath never to sing beyond its church doors.

After a declaration of love ends in heartbreak, Mino flees the Incurables in search of his family. Known as the “city of masks,” Venice is full of secrets, and Mino is certain one will lead to his long-lost mother. Without him, the walls close in on Violetta and she begins a dangerous and forbidden nightlife, hoping her voice can secure her freedom. But neither finds what they are looking for, until a haunting memory Violetta has suppressed since childhood leads them to a shocking confrontation.

Vibrant with the glamour and beauty of Venice at its zenith, The Orphan’s Song takes us on a breathtaking journey of passion, heartbreak, and betrayal before it crescendos to an unforgettable ending, a celebration of the enduring nature and transformative power of love.

No excerpt available.